2020 Domaine De Leyre-Loup Morgon Beaujolais France

2020 Domaine De Leyre-Loup Morgon Beaujolais France

with No Comment $30 and underBurgandyFranceKevin Vogt

DOMAINE DE LEYRE-LOUP

MORGON 2020
BEAUJOLAIS, FRANCE

2020 Domaine De Leyre-Loup Morgon Beaujolais France
Domaine de Leyre-Loup is located in Beaujolais and encompasses 25 acres of vines on granitic soils perfectly suited to growing expressive Gamay of rare richness and high quality. The Morgon AOC is the second largest Beaujolais Cru known for powerful wines that are good for laying down and developing delightful earthy, Pinot Noir-like notes over time.
 
The Domaine’s 50-year-old vines in Morgon give fruit with great concentration and structure that get hand-harvested and sorted, partially destemmed before fermentation. The grapes undergo a traditional, regional fermentation with semi-carbonic maceration in stainless steel resulting in a softer tannin extraction and the creation of lively fruit and spice aromatics that the 2020 vintage shows off in a delicate, focused style.
 
DOMAINE DE LEYRE-LOUP
MORGON 2020
BEAUJOLAIS, FRANCE
 
Your Price: $29.99
 
 
“The 2020 Domaine de Leyre-Loup Beaujolais Morgon begins with aromas of bright red fruits such as cranberry and raspberry with hints of white pepper, dried herbs, and earth. On the palate, the wine has concentrated fruit flavors of ripe strawberry and juicy fruit punch accented by herbal notes of black tea and sweet tobacco leaf. This wine has an impressive flavor intensity that awakens your taste buds and keeps them alive.”
94-95 Points
2019 Armelle Et Bernard Rion Chambolle-Musigny Les Echezeaux

2019 Armelle Et Bernard Rion Chambolle-Musigny Les Echezeaux

with No Comment $90-$100BurgandyFranceKevin VogtPinot Noir

ARMELLE ET BERNARD RION

CHAMBOLLE-MUSIGNY
LES ECHEZEAUX 2019

2019 Armelle Et Bernard Rion Chambolle-Musigny Les Echezeaux
Domaine Armelle et Bernard Rion was founded in 1896 by Pierre Rion after he acquired vines from Chateau de la Berchere during his years as a dedicated sharecropper. More than a century later, the fifth generation of the Rion family runs the winery. They have vineyard holdings strategically positioned in some of the most recognized Burgundian wine-producing villages, including Vosne-Romanée, Chambolle-Musigny, Nuits-Saint-Georges, and Vougeot.
 
‘Les Echezeaux’ is planted with vines of an average age of 50 years in the southern part of the village of Chambolle-Musigny, receiving ample sunlight and achieving perfect ripeness. The 2019 vintage saw frost, hail, and drought, which lowered yields but produced small but brilliant crops with deep concentration and may be one of the best vintages in the last decade.
 
ARMELLE ET BERNARD RION
CHAMBOLLE-MUSIGNY
LES ECHEZEAUX 2019
 
Your Price: $99.99
 
 
“The Armelle et Bernard Rion Chambolle-Musigny Les Echezeaux 2019 opens with a bright nose of tart red cherry, cardamom, pomegranate, fresh green herbs, saddle leather, cinnamon spice, shoe polish, and freshly harvested French lavender. On the palate, the wine has flavors of Ranier cherries, white raspberries, and clove hints, along with a liquid metal/saline quality that bolsters the fresh acids and medium-grained tannins, leading to a long, elegant finish. It’s enjoyable now due to its pristinely balanced fruit/tannin structure, but it will evolve beautifully over the next decade.”
95 Points
NV Bouquin-Dupont Grand Cru Champagne Blanc De Blancs Brut

NV Bouquin-Dupont Grand Cru Champagne Blanc De Blancs Brut

with No Comment $50-$60ChampagneChampagne/SparklingFranceKevin Vogt

BOUQUIN-DUPONT

GRAND CRU CHAMPAGNE
BLANC DE BLANCS BRUT NV

NV Bouquin-Dupont Grand Cru Champagne Blanc De Blancs Brut
The Echelle des Crus was established in 1911, ranking Champagne’s wine-producing villages and the vineyards surrounding them on a scale from 80-100%, and out of the 319 villages in the region, just 17 were awarded a 100% rating and given the prestigious Grand Cru status. Bouquin-DuPont’s Grand Cru Champagne is a prime example of classification’s majestic and regal quality.
This wine originates from Bouquin DuPont & Fils’ Grand Cru vineyard in Avize in the heart of the Côte des Blancs, an area home to vineyards owned by famous Champagne houses such as Moët & Chandon, Roederer, and Taittinger. This ‘Blanc de Blancs’ is a 100% Chardonnay blend from the house’s base wines aged four to ten years on the lees, creating a wonderfully developed, complex wine with a superb balance of focused, linear flavors and aromas.
BOUQUIN-DUPONT
GRAND CRU CHAMPAGNE
BLANC DE BLANCS BRUT NV
Your Price: $55
“Indescribably brilliant with a freshness and vibrancy that need to be experienced to be believed , this otherworldly Champagne cascades wave after wave of candied citrus, quince, yellow plum and green pear fruit with elements of wet stone/saline-like minerality, toast, white flowers and a hint of ginger. On your palate, it takes over and puts your swallow reflex into overdrive, then the expansive finish grows for a minute plus, leaving you begging for another sip. It’s simply my new favorite Champagne.”
97 Points
2015 Chateau Trapaud Saint Emilion Grand Cru Bordeaux

2015 Chateau Trapaud Saint Emilion Grand Cru Bordeaux

with No Comment $30-$40BordeauxBordeauxFranceKevin VogtSaint Emilion

CHÂTEAU TRAPAUD

SAINT-EMILION GRAND CRU
BORDEAUX 2015

2015 Chateau Trapaud Saint Emilion Grand Cru Bordeaux
Beatrice Larribiere is the fourth generation owner and winemaker of Château Trapaud, located just a few hundred meters from Château Valandraud and a close neighbor to the renowned Château Pavie. Beatrice’s winemaking style reveals the intricate balance between fruit, tannic structure, and expression of terroir from her vines organically farmed since 2009. She achieved this balance in the glorious 2015 vintage Saint-Emilion Grand Cru.
 
Saint Emilion Grand Cru AOC adheres to strict yields, a minimum alcohol level, and must be estate-bottled, ensuring a higher quality product. 2015 vintage is considered an excellent growing season for the region, which produced concentrated wines with soft tannins that are ready to drink now but likely have many years of potential in the cellar. At under $40, this remarkable Bordeaux is a staple in our shop, and the 2015 vintage is among their best yet.
 
CHÂTEAU TRAPAUD
SAINT-EMILION GRAND CRU
BORDEAUX 2015
 
Your Price: $39.99
 
 
“Impressive concentration here; this smells of dark-berry pastries, plums and fresh cedary wood. Slick and flavor-packed palate with blueberry and deep-set plum-fruit flavors. Drink or hold.” 
92 Points
Chateau De Parnay Loire Valley Cabernet Franc Saumur Champigny

2018 Chateau De Parnay Loire Valley Cabernet Franc Saumur Champigny

with No Comment $30 and underCabernet FrancFranceKevin VogtLoire Valley

CHÂTEAU DE PARNAY LE BLASON DE PARNAY

SAUMUR CHAMPIGNY 2018 
LOIRE VALLEY CABERNET FRANC

Chateau De Parnay Loire Valley Cabernet Franc Saumur Champigny
Château de Parnay in the Saumur Champigny AOC was purchased in 2006 by Regis Vincenot and Mathias Levron, who revived the estate and transitioned the farming into sustainable practices. Their certified organic vineyards include Old Cabernet Franc vines grown in yellowish-cream colored, chalky, and sandy limestone called tuffeau, a soil unique to the Loire Valley, which is known for producing exquisite quality Cabernet Franc.
 
The grapes for Le Blason were manually harvested and selected specifically for this wine before undergoing a cold maceration for three days, followed by 12 days of gentle extraction, creating a more elegant style of wine. This pristine 100% Cabernet Franc sees no oak during fermentation nor aging, giving rise to divine floral aromas, juicy red fruits, and earthy spice notes that transport you to the Loire Valley without ever having to leave your home.
 
CHÂTEAU DE PARNAY LE BLASON DE PARNAY
SAUMUR CHAMPIGNY 2018 
LOIRE VALLEY CABERNET FRANC
 
Your Price: $29.99
 
 
“The 2018 Chateau de Parnay “Le Blason” is vibrant and alive with fresh lavender, wild roses, cranberries, berry bramble, cloves, forest floor, and truffles. The wine shimmers on the palate with flavors of red cherries, red and black raspberries, dried oregano, and savory spices. This wine has a brilliant acidity that beautifully complements the deep complexity and leaves your mouth watering for another sip.”
95 Points
2020 Domaines Ott Chateau De Selle Rose Cotes De Provence

2020 Domaines Ott Chateau De Selle Rose Cotes De Provence

with No Comment $40-$50FranceKevin VogtProvenceProvenceRosé

DOMAINES OTT

CHÂTEAU DE SELLE ROSÉ
CÔTES DE PROVENCE 2020

2020 Domaines Ott Chateau De Selle Rose Cotes De Provence
Provence is the oldest winemaking region in France and the only in the world dedicated to rosé. Marcel Ott purchased several acres in the late 1800s, and 125 years later, the family estates are still run by the Ott family, with each Domaine producing wines of definition and allegiance to each vineyard’s unique terroir.
 
Chateau de Selle’s Vineyard sits on gypsum, red clay, dolomite, and sandstone mixed with gravel and large stones nestled high into the limestone slopes sheltered from winter frosts and harsh weather. The vines are grown on terraced vineyards that procure nuances from the diverse soils influenced by the sea, giving the 2020 vintage laser definition, making it “another gorgeous Ott,” as written by James Suckling.
 
DOMAINES OTT
CHÂTEAU DE SELLE ROSÉ
CÔTES DE PROVENCE 2020
Retails at: $54
 
Your Price: $49.99
 
 
“…Ott’s 2020 Cotes de Provence Rose Chateau de Selle boasts restrained aromas of peach, melon and citrus underscored by hints of crushed stone. In the mouth, it’s medium-bodied and concentrated, with ample intensity, a slightly creamy texture and a long, mouthwatering finish. Like the other top rosés of Domaines Ott, this is a wine that is often better in its second year.”
93 Points
 
“This is big on drinkability with light cherry, strawberry and peach aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied, creamy and minerally with fresh, stony character. Vivid at the end. Another gorgeous Ott. Drink now.”
93 Points
2018 Domaine Santa Duc Gigondas Aux Lieux-Dits

2018 Domaine Santa Duc Gigondas Aux Lieux-Dits

with No Comment $30-$40Cotes du RhoneFranceKevin VogtRhone ValleyRhone Valley

DOMAINE SANTA DUC

2018 GIGONDAS
AUX LIEUX-DITS

2018 Domaine Santa Duc Gigondas Aux Lieux-Dits
Domaine Santa Duc embodies the cumulative knowledge, heart, and experiences of six generations, each contributing to the wine’s signature, becoming a permanent part of their evolving story. Aux Lieux-Dits is a blend of eight unique parcels of Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah, and Cinsault, farmed biodynamically, bringing out the purest essence of Gigondas terroir.
 
Meticulous in every aspect of production, Domaine Santa Duc’s team handpicks and hand-sorts the grapes, feeding them into stainless-steel thermoregulated vats by gravity, ensuring the quality of each berry remains intact. Aging takes place in 3600-liter Stockinger oak foudres and 800-liter terra-cotta amphorae, emphasizing the wine’s fruit and spice characteristics, creating an ethereal mouthfeel and tantalizing finish that’s profoundly memorable, vastly overdelivering at this value price.
 
DOMAINE SANTA DUC
2018 GIGONDAS
AUX LIEUX-DITS
 
Your Price: $39.99
 
 
“….Black-cherry and mulberry flavors are ripe but briskly balanced by a dazzling mineral freshness and salty, chalky finish. Fruity yet shaded by subtle kisses of charcuterie and dried earth, it’s a complex, hedonistic wine that’s at peak now through 2030. Made from organic and biodynamic grapes.”
94 Points
 
“Discreetly floral with blueberry and liquorice – rounded and juicy. A discrete style of wine, but it’s well balanced and has a sense of drinkability. There’s a nice sense of tannic finesse and it has good sense of direction and focus. Firm and well balanced, without excesses. Eight different plots around Gigondas, biodynamically farmed, partly destemmed. Drinking Window 2021 – 2027.”
94 Points
 
“Ripe but understated style, with a mix of Damson plum, black cherry and blackberry fruit flavors mixed with wood spice and black tea notes. Stylish, pure finish. Drink now through 2033…”
93 Points
Louis Roederer Collection 242 Brut Champagne

Louis Roederer Collection 242 Brut Champagne

with No Comment $50-$60ChampagneChampagne/SparklingFranceKevin Vogt

LOUIS ROEDERER 

COLLECTION 242 
BRUT CHAMPAGNE

Louis Roederer Collection 242 Brut Champagne
Champagne is one of the coolest growing regions in France and has seen a significant increase in temperatures resulting in riper flavors, undesirable for Champagne production. Louis Roederer has taken this as an opportunity to redefine their estate plots and historic partnerships in the Coeur de Terroir with the region’s acclaimed chalky soils and by harvesting earlier before the grapes accumulate too much sugar.
 
Collection 242 is the estate’s 242nd blend since its founding and where the art of blending comes into play with 34% Perpetual Reserve, 10% oak-aged reserve wines from 2009 through 2016 vintages, and 56% of the 2017 vintage. This new-age approach combined with old-world methods and Louis Roederer’s continuing drive for ultimate quality is an evolution in style necessary to preserve the integrity of Champagne. The results are breathtaking and should be a part of your holiday celebrations this year.
 
LOUIS ROEDERER 
COLLECTION 242 
BRUT CHAMPAGNE
 
Your Price: $55
 
 
“Aromas of cooked apple, bread dough and lemon tart follow through to a full body with round, delicious fruit and a rich, flavorful finish. Yet, it remains tight and fine with lovely, compressed bubbles. New energy and freshness. Medium-to full-bodied with layers of fruit and vivid intensity. 42% chardonnay, 36% pinot noir and 22% pinot meunier. 8 grams dosage. Four years on the less. A new-format non-vintage that designates the year of the 242nd harvest, 2017, plus reserve wine of 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. Drink or hold.”
94 Points
 
“So much for the composition and concept of the new NV Brut Collection 242, but how does it taste? This debut release is very impressive indeed, wafting from the glass with notes of pear, peach, ripe citrus fruit, toasted almonds, fresh pastry and white flowers. Medium to full-bodied, pillowy and textural, it’s concentrated and layered, with lively acids, an enlivening pinpoint mousse and a long, sapid finish. Brut Premier was already a very persuasive wine, but the new Brut Collection nevertheless represents a step up.”
93+ Points
2018 Chateau Guillon Bordeaux Graves

2018 Chateau Guillon Bordeaux Graves

with No Comment $30 and underBordeauxBordeauxFranceKevin Vogt

CHÂTEAU GUILLON

2018 BORDEAUX
GRAVES

2018 Chateau Guillon Bordeaux Graves
Graves, named for its deep gravel soils, is historically significant as the home of the first vineyards in Bordeaux and famed first-growth Chateau Haut-Brion. Bordeaux is now one of the most sought-after wine regions globally. Its top producers sell their wines for monumental prices; however, most wines produced in this classic region are surprisingly affordable.
 
Chateau Guillon manicures their pristine vineyards with an attention to detail that artistically translates into their gloriously structured red wine. This Left Bank blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon scored an impressive 95 points at the 2020 Decanter World Wine Awards, securing its spot as one of the more collectible wines in the fantastic 2018 vintage.
 
CHÂTEAU GUILLON
2018 BORDEAUX
GRAVES
 
Your Price: $24.99
 
“Sweet, full and mellow, with settled, attractive, bright red berries, blackberry, cedar and leather. Extremely elegant and well put together, this is an accomplished and hugely satisfying wine”
95 Points
2019 Fabien Coche Bourgogne Cote D'Or Pinot Noir

2019 Fabien Coche Bourgogne Cote D’Or Pinot Noir

with No Comment $30-$40BurgandyFranceKevin VogtPinot Noir

FABIEN COCHE

BOURGOGNE COTE D’OR
2019 PINOT NOIR

2019 Fabien Coche Bourgogne Cote D'Or Pinot Noir
Fabien Coche is a fourth-generation winemaker with exceptional familial ties to the Côte d’Or, coming from one of Burgundy’s renowned winemaking families, Coche-Dury. Fabien took over his family’s Domaine in 2005 and has quickly become the Coche to keep an eye on with wines that are neither flashy nor dramatic but poised, powerful, and seductive.
 
The Pinot Noir for his Bourgogne Rouge comes from two parcels; One in Meursault and the other in Pommard, where roots have grown deep into the earth for the last 30 to 60 years, extracting the remarkable terroir. Fabien’s minimalistic approach focuses on expressing the site in each wine he creates without the use of pump-overs or punch-downs, ensuring a fruit purity that speaks of the terroir it was grown on, providing a sensation you won’t want to miss!
 
Our entire tasting panel wanted to buy a case for themselves after tasting this… 
 
FABIEN COCHE
BOURGOGNE COTE D’OR
2019 PINOT NOIR
 
Your Price: $39.99
 
 
“The 2019 Fabien Coche Bourgogne Côte d’Or Pinot Noir is everything you’re looking for in a Pinot Noir. This stunning wine has profound complexity opening with rose petals, cranberries, red cherries, wild strawberries, cloves, mushrooms, and forest floor. The wine has a silky mouthfeel on the palate with beautifully balanced fruity and savory flavors that gracefully linger on the finish.”
94 points